Modi vs Kejriwal in Varanasi: Mother of all battles this Lok Sabha polls

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi filed his nomination papers for the Varanasi Lok Sabha constituency on Thursday, setting the stage for the most high-profile battle of the ongoing Indian elections.

A day earlier, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Arvind Kejriwal had filed his nomination from the seat after a roadshow. Ajay Rai of the Congress is the third big candidate from the seat.

The Varanasi battle became the most watched electoral contest after Kejriwal announced his candidature against Modi, saying there was a need to defeat both Modi, and Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi in Amethi.

Before filing his nomination, Modi paid tribute to Varanasi's "Ganga Yamuna tehzeeb" and promised to improve the lot of the city's Muslim weavers.

The Gujarat chief minister said he had helped his state’s Muslim kite makers improve their lot and would do the same for the Muslim weavers of Varanasi by using modern technology, branding, designing and marketing.